1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to the field of ambulatory devices and specifically towards walking canes.
2. Description of Related Art
Walking canes are well known in the art. Canes are used by various disabled and elderly people who require aid and support during walking. There are various designs, styles and types of canes existing in the art. In addition to the standard cane, various attachments and designs have been created in aiding the user of the cane. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,466 to Young discloses a walking cane including an extending handle at an upper end for manipulating the cane and directionally controlling a flashlight in the handle to illuminate a travel path forwardly of the cane.
Most standard canes however, have an inherent problem when they are not being usedxe2x80x94they cannot stand upright by themselves. Because canes generally are made of a single, narrow shaft, they must be held upright by a user or it must be leaned against a supporting structure such as a wall or a chair. Since it is nearly impossible to balance a cane in an upright position, the cane must be placed against or on a supporting structure or laid on the floor. Therefore, it is difficult for a user to store the cane when it is not being used.
There are existing inventions that have attempted to resolve this problem. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,828 to Jorgensen discloses a walking cane with a collapsible stand located adjacent to its tip. The stand is shiftable from an extended position wherein the stand supports the cane in an upright attitude to a collapsed position wherein the stand nests neatly along the body of the cane above the tip. Additionally, the cane includes a manually manipulable remote control lever located below the handle of the cane to permit selective locking of the stand in either its extended or collapsed position. This walking cane includes the stand support located externally from the cane shaft and includes a cumbersome mechanism to allow the cane to be rested in an upright attitude. Additionally, the stand support is operated through a locking lever inconveniently located below the handle of the cane.
Another cane apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,430 to Schaaf, et. al. This patent discloses a cane apparatus including a support structure having a foot support platform that is releasably mounted adjacent to the lower portion of the cane. As described therein, the support structure is used for assisting a person in walking up stairs, although it can be used to hold the cane upright. This support structure however, is conveniently maintained in a storage position, but cannot be conveniently released to an operable position. In order to release the support structure, the user must unlatch the support structure directly from the base of the cane apparatus, thus requiring the user to use his foot or the operator must bend over.
Accordingly, there is a need for a cane that can conveniently stand in an upright position by itself with only the aid of a conveniently operated support structure integrated into the aid thereof. Additionally, there is a need for a device that attaches to a cane that easily operates a supporting mechanism through a handle grip.
According to the present invention, there is provided a cane including a handle, a hollow shaft, and a stand mechanism for standing the cane in an upright position upon its shaft. The stand mechanism is releasably retractable from within the hollow shaft through a hand grip mechanism manually operable by the user of the cane. Additionally, the present invention provides for an actuating mechanism extending from the handle, through the shaft and to stand mechanism for actuating the stand mechanism.